Broadband, YouTube, a New Laptop and Film Making - An Historical Reflection on Transitioning from Dialup Internet

Ibis Skater Evolved, Bin Chicken to Skateboard Pro,
Evolution of a Bird by TET. Available from RedBubble

Prior to getting broadband internet access I, like many of you, only had dialup internet, and for the most part was happy with it. I never experienced the speed of broadband until the day our house switched to it. I could never have imagined just how much more the internet had to offer and the possibilities that would arise from that simple change.

I thought that because I didn't download a lot of video that I didn't really need broadband. I now realise that I didn't download a lot of video because I didn't have broadband.

Discovering YouTube has been like having someone finally stop choking you so you can really enjoy a breath of fresh air. Just browsing the video clips is better than watching real free to air television.

Many of the clips are made by average, everyday people who's best chance of ever getting on TV would be as part of a studio audience. Some people star in their own films while others just upload snippets of their lives. Maybe it was something stupid they happened to catch on a mobile phone camera or maybe it was something serious like a missile attack in Lebanon.

Ages span the generations with young and old alike uploading videos. I know of one senior citizen who is retelling his life experiences from world war II. His channel on YouTube is one of the most subscribed with comments and feedback from all ages who are eager to hear what he has to say. He is overwhelmed and emotional knowing that so many people feel that his story is important.

For me, finally getting a new laptop with enough power to record video has been a real boost for my creativity. If 'convergence' is the technology buzzword of the moment then convergence has finally happened for me.

I've never been just one kind of artist, because of that, film making has always been something I'd like to do. I've been involved in at least two film making courses but never could take them further because I couldn't really afford the equipment. Now I can because I have broadband, YouTube, a new laptop, a web cam, a digital camera, a microphone and, most importantly, editing software that can bring everything together into a movie.

I can be a writer, director, producer, and even star of my own films. Catching up with technology has opened up a new channel of my creativity that has been stifled for so long. Whilst my early films will probably be mostly about me I will eventually stop navel gazing and make films that have a story or something like that.

I look forward to creating films that I hope you will enjoy.

Book Review: Brand It Purple by Ashley Knoote-Parke

Ashley Knoote-Parke. Image: Facebook It seems almost redundant to review Brand It Purple given you probably won't find a hard copy edition without digging into the second hand market. The book's author and publisher, Ashley Knoote-Parke, seemingly, disappeared off the face of the Earth around about 2015. Which is a story in itself. However, the book is still a very informative guide and, while not specifically targeted at women, many may relate more to a book written by an experienced female entrepreneur. Brand It Purple is a personal marketing and branding guide released in 2009 by then, star on the rise author, Ashley Knoote-Parke, an English born, South African expatriate, who made Adelaide, South Australia her home. There she started her own publishing company releasing a photographic, coffee table book of South Australian sights, along with books showcasing female, then male, entrepreneurs. As well she published 'Brand It Purple'. I came across the b

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

Are Ion Thrusters the Future of Flying Cars? Spoiler - Probably Not But... Hover Boards... Maybe?

Undefined Technologies Ion Propulsion Drone prototype 3D concept image. You may have heard of Ion engines or, more likely, Ion thrusters. NASA uses them on their spacecraft to help maintain a craft's position or to propel them through space. Upon hearing that you might think they're big, powerful engines, but actually they are not. They work well in the vacuum of space but, once any kind of atmosphere and gravity is involved they'd be hard pressed to launch you off the ground if you strapped four of them to your lawn chair and yelled "up, up, and away!" I am no expert on Ion thrusters - they're basically magic that science has an explanation for. If you want to know the details, The Space Techie website has a layman's explanation . Build Your Own Ion Thruster Earth based Ion Thrusters work a bit different to their space based cousins by Ionizing the same air that we breathe to create thrust (an effect known as Ionic-wind ). While they sound highly soph

The Awkward Amy Schumer Interview That Wasn't Her Fault

Amy has no idea who that guy is and Monique forgot to tell her. Last week comedian Amy Schumer participated in a very awkward interview with Mamamia , Columnist/Journalist/Senior Editor (sorry I'm not sure which job description is most appropriate) Monique Bowley . The interview went so badly that Monique simply had to just own it and write about just how badly it went , and podcast about it as well. Even better the whole interview was captured on video which you can watch below as a precursor to my thoughts on the aftermath.

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

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